The illusion of control. One of the gifts of COVID-19 is realizing how little control we have.
Prior to having a common enemy (COVID-19), we would each have our challenges with work, family, health, home, relationships and whatever else I’ve omitted. The difference was we would do it asynchronously. I might be having an issue with my team and you are winning in all areas of your life. Two weeks or a month later and we’ve switched roles.
Now, we have a common challenge, and we’re all dealing with it differently. We can see the challenge through a lens of healthcare, a lens of the economy, a lens of loss, a lens of gratitude, a lens of gain, a lens of family, a lens of friends, a lens of change or challenge, a lens of fear, a lens of opportunity, a lens of emotion or a lens of logic. The reality is, no one’s lens is sufficient. The reason we are sometimes exhausted at the end of the day and sometimes exhilarated is how we are perceiving what’s occurring.
It’s okay to experience a dichotomy of emotions. I’ve heard many people feeling guilty because their business is thriving and enjoying success, while they are keenly aware other people’s suffering and loss. Others are impatient with “in place” orders while their state isn’t at “peak” C-19 numbers, while people are afraid to go back to work too soon or without data. There are no easy answers, and these seemingly oppositional emotions can be present at the same time.
What remains constant, is that we never knew. There was no “normal,” just the illusion of some predictable experience we took for granted. More often than not, it gave us peace believing we could predict with some certainty what would happen. This is an illusion. One we need to adjust to for a while, until we define a new opportunity with our virtual world.
Breathe. This too shall pass.